A new European Alliance for Ocean Research and Education has been launched
The alliance of research and higher education institutions from 13 European countries was officially launched on 8th December.
The European Ocean Research and Education Alliance (EOREA), composed of 14 founding research and higher education institutions, aims to bring together and build expertise and infrastructure to make greater advances in ocean research and education at the European level. Other European institutions wishing to join the Alliance are welcome during the three-year pilot phase. EOREA is expected to contribute to the European agenda, including the implementation of the European mission "Restore Our Ocean and Waters", the future Ocean Knowledge and Innovation Community, the Partnership for a Sustainable Blue Economy and the Joint Programming Initiative "Oceans". The newly formed alliance should also contribute to the implementation of the UN agenda (Sustainable Development Goals, International Maritime Organisation - IMO).
The EOREA activities will be implemented in the framework of thematic joint programmes, during which the participating institutions will carry out research activities based on current challenges and share and align them at national level (through information and staff exchanges). EOREA also aims to develop joint interdisciplinary educational activities based on knowledge gained from the common research and to improve existing training programmes, so that they incorporate the latest scientific discoveries. The Alliance should also provide policy advice to global, European and national institutions and authorities.
Institutions that are not yet part of the Alliance can join this initiative during a three-year pilot phase when thematic joint programmes will be launched. During this period, EOREA will map what activities can be aligned and where duplication can be reduced. The joint programmes will be open to all research, innovation and education institutions. The Alliance Secretariat will be the entry point for all those interested in joining and participating in existing programmes or starting new ones.
Some of the main themes that EOREA will focus on include Climate and Ocean, Marine Pollution and Coastal Erosion, Biodiversity and Biogeochemistry, Deep Water Exploration, Marine Engineering (ships, energy), Marine Law, Blue Circular Economy, Social Sciences and Oceans, Aquaculture, Megacities on the Coast, Marine Robotics and New Sensors, Blue Arts and Humanities.
Current EOREA members are Aix-Marseille University (France), Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Aalto University (Finland), Technical University of Denmark, Free University of Brussels (Belgium), Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (Greece), Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden), Italian National Science Council, University of Lisbon - CENTEC (Portugal), Delft University of Technology (Netherlands), Jožef Stefan Institute Ljubljana (Slovenia), National Institute for Marine Research and Development NIMRD (Romania) and University of South Hampton (UK).
For more information on EOREA, please contact massimo.busuoli@ntnu.no or karl.stoeckel@univ-amu.fr.